New England Lighthouse Lovers ­ NELL

Lighthouses Hot Chocolate & You 2010

This year the State of Connecticut, the state most NELL members call home, was our host for LHHC&Y. Members started arriving at the Hilton Hotel in Mystic, CT Friday afternoon January 15, 2010 assuring themselves they’d be there in time for the 8:30 a.m. departure to Morgan Point Lighthouse Saturday.

The weatherman had predicted a beautiful weekend and his predication was perfect. After receiving their event envelopes at the hotel, members went directly to Morgan Point. There we were welcomed by our hostess and caretaker Kathy who gave specific instructions on what not to do and what rooms were private or off limits. With that in mind, we proceeded to tour the house with its fantastic maritime memorabilia (mostly British). Inside the entrance was a cut down sculling boat that was made into a unique umbrella stand. On the top of the bow of the boat was the name Torpid 1892. Under that was a coat of arms and the name Merton Col. Followed by the names of the crew.

Alongside the umbrella stand was a ships bell which read USS Trigger 1942. I did a little research on this ship and found the Trigger was a WWII submarine having the hull designation of SS 237. The Trigger went on 12 war patrols.

I’d like to thank the web site www.oldsubsplace.com for the information below.

“TRIGGER stood out to sea on 11 March 1945 to begin her 12th war patrol and headed for the Nansei Shoto area. On the 18th, she attacked a convoy west of the islands, sinking the cargo ship TSUKUSHI MARU NO. 3 and damaging another. On March 26th, she was ordered to join a wolf pack called "Earl's Eliminators" and to acknowledge receipt of the message. A weather report came from the submarine that day but there was no confirmation of her having received the message. The weather report was TRIGGER's last transmission. On 4 April, she was ordered to proceed to Midway, but by May 1 she had not arrived and was reported as presumed lost.

Post­war records indicate that she torpedoed and sank the repair ship ODATE on 27 March. The next day, Japanese planes and ships joined in a two­hour attack on a submarine at a position 32d 16m N. and 132d 05m E. The attack was heard by SILVERSIDES, SEA DOG (SS­401), HACKLEBACK (SS­295), and THREADFIN (SS­410) in adjacent areas. THREADFIN was the only one of these submarines that had been attacked that day, and she reported that she heard many depth charges and several heavy explosions east of her position after the attack on her ceased. TRIGGER was struck from the Navy list on 11 July 1945.

The USS Trigger had numerous kills in her 12 war patrols and earned the following citations; Presidential Unit Citation (3), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic­Pacific Campaign Medal (11)

Ships bells were on display throughout the lighthouse. There were ship models, plaques, and pictures along with other items, too many to mention.

One of the newest acquisitions was a plaque from the Titanic accompanied by a poster of the musicians’ pictures. That plaque read across the top;

Nearer my God to thee.

Erected by the locale of the National Federation of Professional Musicians to the memory of the heroic musicians who perished with the ill­fated ship Titanic which sank on her maiden voyage off Cape Race 15 April 1912. Below that were the names of the musicians. W. Hartely, G. Krins P. C. Taylor and J. W. Woodward, W. T. Brailey, J. F. C. Clarke, and John Law Hume.

From here, we made the short drive to the USS Nautilus and the Submarine Force Museum.

As you approach the entrance to the Submarine Force Library and Museum, you see a small black circle hanging inside a much larger one. These circles (hull rings) are marked USS Holland (SS – 1) and USS Ohio (SSBN – 726) respectively and represent the actual size of the hull. The SSBN hull classification stands for (SS) submersible ship, (B) ballistic missile, (N) nuclear powered. The USS Holland was the United States first commissioned submarine dating back to May 17, 1897.

Diagonally opposite the entrance to the museum you will see the sail of the USS George Washington SSBN – 598. The United States first ballistic missile submarine. The George Washington was commissioned on Dec. 30, 1959; the missiles painted on the side of the sail are for the completion of her first Strategic Deterrent Patrols by both the Gold and Blue crews. The missile standing ready for launch behind her is a Polaris Type A1 missile which is the type of missile that was in the launch tubes of the George Washington.

To the rear of the sail is the 41 For Freedom monument. 41 For Freedom is the 41 original US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines and the men that served on them during the cold war with Russia. These submarines and their men were the third prong of the Strategic Deterrent Triad, with the other two being our bombers and land missiles located in the mid­west.

As you tour the museum you will see models of submarines hanging from above, displays of submarine weaponry, torpedoes, deck guns, various missiles, and Bushnell’s Turtle. There are also several movie theaters to watch movies about the history of subs, life aboard a submarine and the Nautilus.

It’s a short walk from the museum to the Nautilus where you can take a self­guided tour which will take approximately 45 minutes.

After lunch we visited the Palmer House. Nathaniel Palmer was born in Stonington CT in August 1799. He was an explorer, seal hunter, sailing captain and ship designer. He became captain of his first ship, the Hero, at the young age of 21 and was 22 when he became the first American to discover Antarctica. The house was very interesting with the charts, marine memorabilia, and models of the sailing ships he designed. Stonington Lighthouse & Museum was our last stop. It has been several years since I was there and the changes and improvements were very nice to see. They had a Fourth Order Fresnel lens (which had a protective cover donated by NELL) on display, albeit not the one that was in the lighthouse. Also on display was a lighted chart (push a button and a light lights up showing the location of a specific lighthouse) that was built, installed and donated by NELL member Ron Foster and his son Joe.

Ending what proved to be a very educational and fun day we arrived back at the Hilton Hotel for our hot chocolate. Besides the hot chocolate and brownies, we were treated to some light refreshments along with tea and coffee. Before heading for home, we sang happy birthday to our friend and NELL member Patrick Clark. A great end to a great day. It was good to see old friends and meet new members. A good time was had by all. I look forward to seeing you all at the spring event in May.

Tom

New England Lighthouse Lovers ­ NELL

2010 Lighthouses, Hot Chocolate & You

January 16, 2010 Mystic, CT

Thanks to Tom Kenworthy for these photos

Morgan Point Lighthouse

Morgan Point Lighthouse

Heroic musicians from the Titanic Heroic Musicians memorial plaque from the Titanic Sculling boat umbrella stand and ships bell USS Trigger SS237

Ships bell USS Trigger SS237

Entrance to Lighthouse from the museum Ladder to the lantern room View from the lantern room View from the lantern room

North Dumpling Island and in the background Little Gull Island as seen from the lantern room View from the lantern room

Mystic Seaport Lighthouse Mystic Seaport Lighthouse Hull Rings at entrance to museum. Missile launch tube. Upon launch the red cover comes off

Italian Mini­Sub

New England Lighthouse Lovers ­ NELL

2010 Lighthouses, Hot Chocolate & You

January 16, 2010 Mystic, CT

Thanks to Tom Kenworthy for these photos

Swimmer Delivery Article Japanese "Type A" two­man mini­sub

USS George Washington the first Polaris Type A1 Missile sub Monument listing all 41 USNavy Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines

Forty­One for Freedom

Gangway to Nautilus Permanent mooring supports

Anchor and starboard bow plane Enlisted men's sleeping quarters

Checking Gauges Officer's Mess The Head Up Scope

Adjusting the bow planes

Passageway hatch ­ 18 inches from the floor Avery Point and New London Ledge Lights Stonington Lighthouse

Avery Point Light New London Ledge Light

Ivory Pagoda from the collection gathered by Capt. Thomas Forsyth on display at Stonington Lighthouse

Plaque indicating NELL donation of the Fresnel Lens Protective Cover

Ron Bandock, Patrick Clark and Tom Kenworthy